(PDF attached)

CRH, Divest Now from Apartheid Israel!

OPEN LETTER

April X, 2010

To CRH plc management,

Dublin, Ireland

We, at BOYCOTT!ⁱ, a group of Israeli citizens, strive to stop our government's human rights and international law violations, which have been facilitated by the cooperation of international companies. Your company has gone a great length in getting involved with the Israeli land and resources annexation, segregation and continued colonization of Palestine¹. As you were told by your country's Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), by investing in the Israeli group Mashav Initiating and Development Ltd., you are profiting from the Israeli colonization of Palestinian territory and facilitating illegal settlement expansion and population segregation.

Israeli settlements are illegal by international law, as determined by a number of UN Security council resolutions and according to the Fourth Geneva Convention. In fact, as exposed last year by an Israeli army whistleblower, building and land-seizing violations of Israel's own laws are committed by "the very heart of the settlement enterprise", with the silent approval of the Israeli government and security establishment². By investing in a company that provides matterials for settlements' construction you are assisting a criminal activity and thereby putting your own company at harms way.

The Israeli settlement enterprise is a massive land-grab and segregation project, which includes also the building of apartheid Jewish-only roads and the apartheid wall. In 2004 the International Court of Justice ruled the Israeli construction of the Wall in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) to be "contrary to international law" and called for its dismantling and for the annexed land and resources to be returned to their Palestinian owners with reparations. It has also declared the wall illegal for its key role in the segregation of Palestinian towns and villages, depriving Palestinians the right of movement, work, health and other public services.

By divesting from Mashav, CRH can distance itself from the immorality and illegal activity perfromed by the Israeli settlement enterprise . We will stand with IPSC in their campaign until that day comes.

Sincerely,

Ronnie Barkan
Adi Dagan
Naama Farjoun
Prof. Rachel Giora
Dr. Dorothy Naor
Ofer Neiman
David Nir
Yonatan Pollak
Ayala Shani
Tal Shapira

Also endorsed by:
The Coalition of Women for Peace
Union of progressive women - National Democratic assembly (Balad)